In recent years the global data communication network known as the Internet has experienced explosive growth. It is estimated that since 1991, the number of Internet (also known as simply the Net) users has doubled on an annual basis and is estimated to reach 120 million users by the end of 1997. This phenomenal growth will lead to approximately 200 million Internet users by the year 2000. It is also predicted that by the turn of the century, more than 70% of all personal computers (PCs) will be on the Net and that electronic mail (e-mail) and other on-line services will be in wide spread use.
Simultaneously with the ever increasing demand for additional bandwidth, the Internet is likely to become a critical communication tool for business. Large organizations will use it as a major marketing channel. Banks, airlines, retailers and other service providers will offer their customers communications via the Internet much as they today offer their customers communication via a toll free access number.
However, it has been reported that Internet users are already experiencing severe communications constraints due to the inefficient handling of existing protocols and to the overload of the Internet. As the load conditions on the Internet become heavier and heavier, network response time will get slower and slower and the congestion rate will increase will lead to higher levels of packet loss thus lowering the performance of the network.
In addition, concurrent with the tremendous growth of the number of the traditional Internet, there is a huge increase in the number of intranets. Intranets are private networks created by organizations which use protocols and standards similar to the public Internet and are accessible to authorized users only. Intranets are used by corporations to permit employees Internet access as well as to share corporate information, product data, schedules, technical support, etc. Intranets are especially useful to organizations as the number of nomadic employees and telecommuters rapidly increases because they enable collaborative work sharing regardless of employees' physical locations. It is likely that in the future, Intranets will provide quick and easy communications between a corporation and its customers and suppliers.